Glossary
aarti—sacred flame offering
abhishekam—ritual libation for deities
acharaya—teacher, guru
Agasthya—revered as Tamil’s first siddhar, author of hymns in many Vedic texts
Akka—term of affection for an older ‘sister’
alap—musical opening, often improvised, of a raga
ama—yes
Amma—mother
Anthari—Goddess Durga, Vishnu’s sister
Appa—father
Araiyers—lineage of reciters of the Divya Prabandham
aspara—heavenly courtesan
Aum—sacred mantra / sound / symbol of the universe
avatar—an incarnation of a god
Azhwars—twelve poet saints, including Andal, who dived deep into the divine
bhajan—devotional song
bhakti—devotion
Bhooma Devi—earth goddess
Choodi K Kodutta—epithet given to Andal: she who gave that which she had worn
darshan—seeing, blessing; an exchange of vision between
